DiGRA is basically the epicentre of academic games studies research.  I’d never attended a DiGRA conference before, so the August 26-29 in Atlanta was my introduction to the whole community.  Or at least it was the first time where I felt I BELONGED to such a community.
There are a few trends worth noting right off the bat.

Game Studies seems to unite around debates – so things like the ‘magic circle’, narratology vs ludology, or procedurality …